Posted Sep 18, 2023, Updated Feb 02, 2024 If you’re looking for a hearty, healthy soup to warm up with this winter – this beef barley soup recipe is it! It only takes ten minutes and a handful of simple ingredients to prepare this delicious soup. Then, it cooks all day in the slow cooker. This beef and barley soup will become a favorite for your whole family!
Beef Barley Soup: Ingredients & Substitutions
Beef Broth. In a pinch you can use chicken broth or vegetable broth, but beef broth is the best choice. Worcestershire sauce. you can omit this if you don’t keep it on hand, although it really does add a great flavor. Minced garlic. fresh or jarred both work well. You can substitute 1 tsp garlic powder for the 1 Tablespoon of minced garlic. Stew Beef. Buying already cut beef stew meat makes this recipe so easy. You can purchase 2 pounds of chuck, round or sirloin and cube it yourself. Onion. white, yellow or red onions all work well in this recipe. Bay Leaves. Fresh or dried bay leaves both work well in this recipe. Barley. you can use pearl barley or hulled barley – I prefer pearled!
How to Make Beef Barley Soup
This beef and barley soup recipe is so easy to make! Simply toss everything in the slow cooker and let it do the work for you! We’ll walk through the process step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video. Begin by whisking together the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, paprika, salt, pepper, and barley in the contianer of a slow cooker. Then, add the stew beef, onion, carrots, celery, and barley and stir to combine. Gently stir in the bay leaves. Then, cook the beef barley soup on low for 7-8 hours (preferred) or high for 4 hours. Cook until beef is tender and the barley is fully cooked, checking it towards the end of cook time.
Serve
Once the meat is tender and barley is cooked, remove the two bay leaves. Then, serve the beef and barley soup warm garnished with fresh parsley. Since this soup is really a meal in itself, we usually just serve it with a side of bread. I suggest making this crusty no knead bread, french bread, homemade biscuits or homemade dinner rolls.
Store/freeze
Store leftover beef barley soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Or, freeze it for up to 2 months. Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat on the stovetop, or in the microwave. If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
